


Dragoon

by starian_nightzz



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-09 10:12:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1978920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starian_nightzz/pseuds/starian_nightzz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dragoons have always been the stuff of legends—named as the Protectors of the creatures of the night. Due to the constant conflicts going on amongst the Night, no one has seen a Dragoon for hundreds of years now, with most believing them to be extinct. Until Levi and his comrades ran into three Dragoons one night, even finding his mate in one of them, thus changing the tide of the war and the fate of the world as a result.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dragoons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi meets three members of a nearly dying clan, and which one of them just so happens to be his mate.

Levi frowned, looking around at the carnage—along with the number of dead bodies lying all around them in this part of the forest that they are in, with blood soaking deep into the rich soil of the earth.

The dark haired man let out a disgusted sound as he eyed the blood visible on his cloak and the blades in his hands before removing a white cloth and cleaning the blood off his blades and his hands.

“Heichou?” Petra Ral approached him with a frown. The vampire glanced around at the carnage. “Don’t you find it strange? Why is the Dawk faction in this part of the woods? It isn’t part of their territory. Besides…”

“It seems to me like they’re searching for someone or even several _someones_ in particular.” Eld Jinn added, approaching Levi, with Gunther Schultz and Oluo Bossard close behind him. All three men have blood visible on their cloaks and clothes, with Oluo yawning his head off.

Levi said nothing even as he pondered over what Eld had said.

The wars happening amongst the various factions of the creatures of the Night have been getting worse in recent years, and the humans didn’t particularly keep it a secret that they blamed the creatures of the Night, and wanted them exterminated. The worst of the wars have been between the Dawk and Smith factions however—the largest of the factions belonging to the creatures of the Night. 

It is only in recent years that they’ve discovered that the Dawk faction seemed to be searching for someone or something in particular. None of them knew what however.

“I don’t know what it is that they’re searching for; but whatever it is, I doubt that it’ll be good news for us if they get their hands on whatever that they’re searching for.” Levi concluded. He then turned to face his squad. “Let’s go back.”

“Yes sir!” 

Oluo yawned loudly once more, and Petra giggled, patting his arm. “Tired?” she asked her mate sympathetically. “Come on, a little more, and you can go to sleep.”

Levi stared on impassively, trying to fight down the pangs of loneliness at seeing the two interact with each other. He had been around for a long time now—and despite his introvert personality, even he will get lonely at seeing everyone around him get together one after the other, and he had not even found his mate until now.

Mate bonding in the Dark World is a strange thing. Like how Petra was kind enough to tell Levi when she’d first met Oluo, and the mate bond simply flares between them, it is like you’ll know it is them the moment that you met them. You will want to be there for them, and you get twitchy the moment they so much as go out of your sight. Especially for vampires who are pretty possessive and protective when it comes to their other halves.

Levi stiffened just then as he caught the sound of leaves and branches rustling, with faint shouts in the distance. His hand dropped to the hilt of his sword, and his eyes flickered around in suspicion.

“Heichou?” Gunther spoke up warily, eyes narrowed in suspicion as well, as the rest of the squad took up defensive positions.

“Something’s coming!” Petra said, her grip tightening over the hilt of her sword.

“Be on your guard.” Levi told his squad calmly, eyes flickering around.

Then, all five vampires caught the fresh scent of blood—though it isn’t a scent that they’re familiar with. It doesn’t smell like a vampire’s. Neither does it smell like a werewolf. And it doesn’t smell like the scent of any of the other creatures of the Night that they’ve repeatedly run into throughout the years. 

Then, through the trees, all five vampires caught sight of three figures decked out in black with dark cloaks over their clothes, running through the forest, looking over their shoulders every now and then.

The three of them don’t look older than seventeen at best—though Levi knew from experience that the creatures of the Night don’t necessarily look their age. Levi himself for one looks to be in his early twenties, but he has already been around for hundreds of years.

There were two females and one male. The tallest one is the female with dark hair, with a red scarf around her neck. The only male of the group is about a few inches shorter than she is, with golden blonde hair that reaches a little below his earlobes and blue eyes. The last female of the group had dark chocolate brown hair reaching down a little below her shoulders, and seemed to be the shortest of the three—being nearly half-a-head shorter than the other girl. She glanced through the trees at Levi with blue-green eyes, and Levi felt everything stop around him.

He felt his breath almost caught in his throat, as his gray eyes widened, seeing surprised and startled blue-green eyes—a colour of the likes that he had never seen before. He then feels…almost _complete._ Like there had been something missing in him that he had never noticed before, and it is now complete.

This must be…

“Who are they?” Gunther murmured, confusion visible in his eyes.

Faint shouts in the distance could be heard, and the three teens (Levi has no idea what to call them), turned their heads over their shoulders, and the dark haired girl of the group cursed to herself. “They’re getting closer!”

“Eren!” The blonde called out to the brunette, panicked, and Levi filed the name away for future reference. _Eren._ So that’s her name.

The brunette’s face was pale, and by the way that she pressed her left hand against her side, Levi is ready to bet that she is injured. “Let’s go!” she shouted to her two friends, tearing her eyes away from Levi’s and bolting through the trees before being followed by the other two—disappearing so fast that it is almost like they were never there at all.

“What the…?” Oluo furrowed his brows. “Who are they? They don’t smell like anything that I’ve ever smelt before—”

Levi wasn’t listening anymore; he had already bolted through the trees, following the path of the three, and trying to follow their already fading scents. It is almost like the harder that Levi tried to follow their scents, the faster that it seems to disperse.

“Levi-heichou?”

“We’re following them!” 

Levi felt a surge of excitement rise up in him; this must be it. That brunette. She must be… 

* * *

Mikasa Ackerman’s eyes flickered around in suspicion, her dark eyes almost glowing ethereally in the darkness of the night, one hand over the hilt of the blade by her side. For several moments, when she could neither see nor hear anything, she finally relaxed, turning towards her two adoptive siblings.

“I think we’ve lost them,” she said, before feeling slightly panicked as her adoptive younger sister slide down the trunk of the oak tree that she had been using to support her weight, still with her left hand pressed against her side. “Eren!” 

“Eren, let me see!” Armin Arlert demanded, scrambling to Eren’s side, with Mikasa on her other side. “They got you in the side, didn’t they? Why aren’t you healing?”

Even as he spoke, his hands glowed a soft blue as he held them over the deep gash that he could see through the slashed fabric of Eren’s shirt, with warm and sticky blood seeping out through the deep gash.

After all, their kind always had remarkable healing abilities, and they could heal most injuries on their own within an hour or two.

“It’s not healing!” Armin realised in horror after several moments, seeing the injury rejecting his healing power. “Mikasa, it’s not healing!” He turned towards the raven-haired girl, horror all over his face, realising what this is immediately. There is only one reason why an injury like that wouldn’t heal. “This must be…!”

“Unicorn blood poisoning.” Mikasa growled in rage. “Their swords must be coated with unicorn blood. It’s the only thing that can hurt us and prevent us from healing! Damn those bastards!” 

“What should we do?” Armin asked, panicked, pressing his hand against Eren’s wound, and she flinched, her breaths already coming in heavy pants, and her eyes seemed almost glazed. “And we have no idea if the others even managed to get away! How the hell did the Dawk faction even find us?”

Mikasa stiffened just then and she straightened up immediately, one hand falling to the hilt of her sword. “Someone’s coming!” she said. “Come on! We have to go—”

“Wait!” A baritone voice rang out, and the five vampires that they’ve seen earlier appeared in front of them in a blur. The leader held out his hands, showing that he isn’t holding any weapon whatsoever, and the rest of his group followed his example. “We’re not here to fight!” 

“Like I’ll believe you!” Mikasa hissed, venom in her voice. “Do you seriously take us for fools? We’ve been on the run from several of your kind for _days_ now! We never want anything to do with the stupid war that your faction had initiated with that other one! Yet because of it, we were all dragged into it anyway!”

“We only want to live our lives out in peace!” Armin nearly shrilled at them. “Why can’t you just leave us be? Haven’t you done enough to us?”

“Who or what are you anyway?” Oluo barked at them, his hand falling to his sword. “You don’t smell like anything I know. Are you with the Dawk faction?”

“Have you gone deaf as well as blind? I’ve just said that we didn’t have _anything_ to do with them!” Mikasa snapped. “And that should be my question! _Who are you?_ Are you here to kill us? Are you after Eren too? If you are, fucking say your prayers! I won’t allow you to lay a single finger on her!”

Levi’s eyes snapped towards Oluo as he heard the slight shift of his sword being unsheathed. “Oluo, don’t—”

Whatever that he is about to say was cut off immediately as a bright flash of golden light lit up the surroundings immediately, and a dome of golden light surrounded the three teens in front of them, barricading them in.

“What is this?” Petra demanded, touching the light only to hiss as the dome burned her fingers. “A barrier?”

“H-Hallowed Wall?” Armin squeaked, his face pale. “Eren!”

The only brunette of the group was kneeling with one knee on the ground, her hand outstretched, her face pale. Levi’s eyes narrowed as he saw that her breaths seemed to be coming in pants, and obviously isn’t in the best of health if her pale face is of any indication.

 _‘What is this technique?’_ Levi wondered. He had never seen it before, and he had seen his fair share of impressive techniques and even magic used throughout the duration of the war.

“Eren, release the barrier!” Mikasa told her sister urgently. “You’re going to die at this rate, especially with your injuries if you keep this up!” Levi’s eyes widened. “Hallowed Wall takes a lot of your energy and concentration! Eren!”

With a sound like shattering glass, the barrier vanished, and the brunette collapsed to the ground, falling into the arms of the blonde, and Levi’s eyes twitched. He took a step forward, but the raven-haired girl stepped in front of the two, glaring at them. He could swear that she is almost glowing in anger. 

“I won’t let you lay a hand on Eren!” she almost growled, as her voice seemed to grow even deeper, and dark scales appeared on parts of her wrist and arms, and even on parts of her face as her eyes turned golden. A pair of black dragon wings even appeared on her back.

Levi froze. He knew what they are immediately the moment that the dark haired girl in front of him had transformed partially into her true form. All the creatures of the Night have the ability to shift between their true forms and their human forms, with their powers and abilities being much more lethal and powerful when they used them in their true forms. 

Levi himself had only seen pictures of _this_ particular form only in ancient scripts and paintings that speaks of one of the protectors of the creatures of the Night and the world. He had spent most of his time reading everything that he could get his hands on when Erwin had first saved him and his two close friends when they were young, and had taught them how to read and fight. 

“W-What are they?” Oluo gasped, feeling fear—true fear for the first time in his life. On instinct alone, he stood in front of Petra, trying to shield his mate from whatever that may come.

“…The stuff of legends…” Eld whispered in awe, his eyes wide. Beside him, Gunther was also stunned into silence. Clearly, the two best friends must know what they are as well. “Oluo, you should have heard of their kind before. They’re the stuff of legends! Part of a nearly extinct race—the Guardians of the Dark World, the Protectors. The _Dragoons_ – the Dragon Shifters!”

Oluo gaped at the two males. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Mikasa, stop it!” Armin shouted to his sister, still busy tending to his younger adoptive sister’s injury, and trying hard not to freak out at seeing just how out of it that she is. How long has it been since Eren had that injury? As unicorn blood is one of the few things that are lethal to them, Armin knew better than anyone else just how fast the toxic could spread in their body.

Technically speaking, their kind are considered one of the ‘dark’ species in the world, right alongside the vampires, the werewolves and several of the other clans that are considered ‘dark’. Unicorns are one of the purest creatures in the world, and it is said to be an honour to even meet one. Hence, unicorns are almost hunted into extinction by humans throughout the centuries, as their hair, horns and blood are extremely valuable and could be used to forge powerful weapons. Unicorn blood in particular acts as a fast acting toxic for several of the dark species, and is often used by human hunters to kill vampires and several of the other creatures of the Night throughout the centuries.

“Look, we’re not here to fight!” Levi tried to stop a fight from breaking out, knowing that none of them would survive if a fight _did_ break out between them and members of a nearly extinct race. They are named the Protectors of the Dark World for a reason. “Your friend… She’s injured, right?” _Everyone_ could smell the blood in the clearing. “We have a remarkably skilled doctor in our base. We can help you.”

He would rather not lose his mate—his other half whom he’d been searching for nearly all his life when he’d just met her!

Mikasa glowered at Levi, and seemed to be debating between transforming into her full form right here and now or just killing them all and be done with it. A tug at her cloak stopped her.

“Mikasa, we should ask them for help!” Armin pleaded with his sister. “Eren won’t last long this way! You know how lethal unicorn blood is to us! Not even _I_ could heal an injury like that! And who knows how long that Eren had that injury!”

Mikasa bit on her lower lip, knowing that what Armin said is true. Then, with a flash of white light, Mikasa shifted back into her human form before she glared at Levi with suspicion, not willing to trust a bunch of vampires. And with how several vampires, werewolves and who knows what else have been chasing them and some of their other friends for _days_ now, who could blame her?

“If you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you.” Mikasa threatened.

Levi frowned. Usually, he would either kick down or even kill someone who dared to speak down to him like that. But in this case, he let it slide, since from the looks of things, they have been running from pursuers for _days_ now. If he had been in their shoes, he would have been overly paranoid and defensive as well.

Hell, when Erwin had first approached him, Farlan and Isabel with Mike centuries ago, he had been suspicious too. At that point in history, the humans have been much more fanatic in hunting them down, and hence, the wars at that time were mainly pitting the creatures of the night against the humans.

“What happened to her?” Petra, the healer of their group stepped forward bravely, despite the attempts of her mate to stop her, kneeling by Eren’s side, wondering if she could help. While she is skilled at combat like all members of Levi’s squad, she is also a highly skilled healer.

“Unicorn blood poisoning.” Armin told Petra, and her eyes widened. “We were pursued by members belonging to the Dawk faction for days now.” The rest of Squad Levi were taken aback, and Levi cursed beneath his breath at that. So they aren’t the only ones whom the Dawk faction was determined to take out. “We got separated from the rest of our friends when we got attacked.”

“We’re going to need Hanji’s help on this.” Petra told Levi, her eyes serious.

Not even Petra could do anything against unicorn blood poisoning as the poison spreads through the body extremely quickly. Even for a vampire—supposedly one of the most durable amongst the creatures of the Night, even they could succumb to unicorn blood poisoning within hours. The fact that a Dragoon can withstand unicorn blood poisoning for _days_ speaks of their prowess and strength. 

Levi nodded. “We’re going to take you to our base,” he told Mikasa. “We have a doctor there that can help.”

**XXXXXX**

Levi closed the door to the infirmary silently, watching Mikasa and Armin sitting by Eren’s bedside, holding her hand, not even taking their eyes off of her sleeping face. Bandages were visible around her forehead and neck, and even around her arms. For a moment, Levi was almost consumed by anger at those bastards who dared to attack his mate.

Lots of their own people have almost panicked when they’ve seen three strangers amongst their midst, but they have relented and placed down their weapons when they saw the glare on Levi’s face even as he led Mikasa and Armin to the infirmary in their castle, even sending Gunther ahead to alert Hanji that they’re coming. Mikasa didn’t even allow any of them near her sister, and had carried her all the way to the castle.

It had taken several hours, but Hanji had managed to halt the venom coursing through Eren’s body, and had drained it out. It had actually caused Eren to spasm violently several times, and it actually took Armin holding Mikasa back, or the dark haired Dragoon would have twisted Hanji’s head off her shoulders.

“She’s going to be fine.” Hanji’s voice spoke from behind Levi, and he turned only to see his friend (much as he loathed to admit it) standing behind him, cleaning the blood off her hands with a rag. “Dragoons are amongst the most powerful of the Night, according to the legends. Not even I’ve met one before.” An almost crazed look appeared in her eyes, and Levi cringed. “By the way, Erwin wants to see you in his office." 

Levi sighed; he knew that this is coming ever since he’d brought the three Dragoons into their base.

“Roger.”

* * *

“I see.” Erwin Smith murmured, curling his fingers before his mouth as he listened to what Levi had to tell him. “It seems like we’re not the only ones that the Dawk faction wants dead. The Dragoons must be whom they’ve been searching for all this while.”

“I’m actually surprised that they’re actually still around though—the Dragoons that is.” Levi grunted. “I thought that they’ve gone extinct ages ago since no one had seen one for _centuries.”_

“I wonder if they’ll allow me to run experiments on them?” Hanji wondered, a crazed look in her eyes, and Levi sighed.

“They’re probably some of the last few survivors of the Dragoon race—the Dragon Shifters.” Erwin stated, ignoring Hanji’s last comment. “The few that have survived the continued assaults and hunts of their kind have all gone into hiding for survival. I’m actually surprised that there _are_ still survivors.” He admitted. “And honestly, I’m not surprised that they distrust us so much. In a way, we nearly forced their kind into extinction.” He added, looking sad.

Levi frowned. “Erwin, what do you mean by that?” he demanded. Even Hanji looked interested. “What did we do? I’ve never read anything of this in the scrolls and history texts.”

Erwin was silent for a very long time. “…I was an extremely young fledging when the last of their kind vanished and were never seen again,” he said at last. “So I saw some of the horrible conflicts and battles that had happened at that time, and how both humans and the creatures of the Night hunt down the Dragoons for their own selfish purposes, and have all but nearly forced the race into extinction. To be fair, they have every right to hate us. I’m actually surprised that the Dragoons actually agreed to step into our castle.”

“What did we do, Erwin?” Hanji asked carefully, for once not acting her usual crazed self. “What happened in the past?”

Erwin didn’t say anything for a long time, only looking extremely guilty. Then finally, he began to tell them the most horrifying tale ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This must be my second or even third fantasy story for a fan fiction. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this chapter and story, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!


	2. Aeternum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Legion meets with the three Dragoons - Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert, and learns more about their kind, and why they've been so sought after. Levi also tries to come to terms with his own feelings regarding his own mate.

“How much do you both know about the Dragoons?” Erwin asked both Hanji and Levi, curling his fingers together before his mouth, looking at them both in the eye.

“Only as much as everyone else does.” Hanji told Erwin, and next to her, Levi nodded with a grunt. “They’re the most powerful of the Night, having abilities and powers that most could only dream of. And if one manages to mate with a Dragoon, not only will they get stronger, but any offspring of theirs will be powerful too.”

“Not much is ever known about the Dragoons in the first place, seeing as how that race all went into hiding centuries ago.” Levi grunted. “Who knows if it is even true or not?”

Inwardly however, he is eager to know just what Erwin knows. He had never really asked how old Erwin is, as the blonde had already been centuries old by the time that he, Isabel and Farlan have met Erwin and Mike when they were set upon by a pack of werewolves in the Dark Forest when they were just past the age of fledglings.

“There were several myths and stories about them!” Hanji said excitedly, and Levi could almost swear that her glasses had _glinted._ “Farlan told me about a few when he sometimes come to help me in the infirmary.”

“He used to tell them to Isabel when we were kids, and Isabel couldn’t fall asleep due to bad dreams.” Levi grunted, not looking at either Erwin or Hanji.

“Even myths have some truth to it.” Erwin sighed, looking really tired. “The most famous myth involves the origins of the creatures of the Night. As the story goes, when the world was still new, the humans at that time feared the creatures of the Night and sought to kill them. Fearing for their lives and their safety, a Dragoon at that time gave them gifts—abilities that they are now known for at the cost of her life. Hence why the Dragoons are so desired and sought after, and are also known as the Protectors of the Night for a reason.”

Levi nodded, having heard Farlan tell this story to Isabel countless times when they were children. That particular story had also been Isabel’s favourite, and probably still is. Farlan himself always had a particular fascination with the Dragoons—seeing as how no one had seen a Dragoon for _centuries_ now, and when Erwin had first brought the three of them into the Smith faction—also more commonly known as the Legion, and had taught the three of them how to read and write, Farlan had basically gone on a reading frenzy. He spent every bit of his spare time in the Legion’s giant of a library, seemingly determined to read every book that he got his hands on, and if Isabel and Levi haven’t taken it upon themselves to drag Farlan away for meals, to make him sleep, or even to hunt, then he would probably never leave the library.

“That myth had also been Isabel’s favourite ever since we were children.” Levi noted. “Farlan’s grandfather told him that story when he was still alive. But how true is it?”

“I wouldn’t know. For all I know, it might be true.” Erwin sighed, leaning back against his chair slightly. “Originally, the Dragoons have lots of clans. They were aptly named the Protectors for a reason. Bear in mind that I was very young when there _were_ still Dragoons around—before they’ve all gone into hiding.” Erwin reminded the both of them. Levi nodded whilst Hanji looked ready to whip out a notebook and start writing down notes.

“Why did they go into hiding however?” Hanji wondered.

“I’m getting to that.” Erwin sighed. “The Dragoons are a rare species—they’ve always been sought after, not only because of their abilities and powers, but also because of what they represents. Especially amongst the creatures of the Night, having a Dragoon for a mate is a big thing. Their abilities and powers are out of the world—being able to do things that most of us can only dream of doing. They’re that powerful. But it’s also because they are _that_ powerful that people sought them for their power.”

“What did they do?” Hanji almost whispered, almost fearing to know the answer. “What did _we_ do?”

Erwin sighed, looking extremely tired. Next to Hanji, Levi looked extremely uncomfortable, not sure that he wants to know the answer. Judging by the reaction of that Mikasa girl earlier in the forest when she had laid eyes on him and his squad, he is pretty sure that it’s bad.

“At that point in history, the humans believed that capturing a Dragoon and well…drinking their blood or something will give them special abilities or even grant them immortality.” Erwin looked uncomfortable. “I don’t think that it’s true, as a Dragoon’s blood is toxic to humans—acting as a fast acting acid. As for the creatures of the Night, well, each and every single one of them sought the Dragoons for their own selfish reasons. Some desires them for their power. Some sought them as mates to increase their own power. Lots of Dragoons were hunted down and killed. Finally, the few that survived all decided that they had enough and went into hiding.”

“That’s horrible.” Hanji said, shocked. She can understand now why those two Dragoons from earlier—especially that dark haired one looked as if she is ready to kill her if she so much as twitch wrong when trying to heal her unconscious sister.

“It seems like the Dawk faction had been after them though.” Levi volunteered the information from whatever that he’d gleaned from the reactions of the Dragoons in the forest earlier. “And if what you’d said is true, Erwin, then I seriously doubt that they want to stay here.”

“If the Dawk faction is after them, then leaving the castle is suicide.” Erwin sighed. “The moment that they take one step out of here, they’ll be hunted down again. They might be Dragoons, but there are only three of them. They’ll be outnumbered.”

There was a knock on the door just then, and when Erwin called out a ‘come in’, Farlan Church’s dirty blonde head peeked in. The blonde brightened up when he saw Levi and nodded to his adoptive brother who nodded back, turning his attention towards Erwin.

“Sir, the female Dragoon is awake.”

* * *

Isabel Magnolia meanwhile was having the time of her life grilling a very amused Armin Arlert about the Dragoons whilst she is in the infirmary, watching over the three Dragoons to make sure that they don’t try to make a run for it whilst Farlan had gone off to go and get Erwin.

Mikasa Ackerman is currently fussing over her sister who is sitting up in the infirmary bed, bandages visible around her neck, forehead, and even around the lower part of her arms. Even for the Dragoons that had remarkable healing abilities, unicorn blood poisoning isn’t something that they can recover from in just a mere day. It’ll take them days just to get the toxic out of their system and able to function properly again.

“We should leave immediately.” Mikasa was telling her younger adoptive sister in a low tone so as to prevent Isabel’s vampire hearing from overhearing them, even as she made a show of examining Eren’s injuries.

“Where can we go, Mikasa?” Eren asked her sister tiredly. “You know that there’s nowhere else for us to run anymore. I’m worried about the others too, but they can take care of themselves. I’ll be worried if something _can_ hurt Reiner, and he is likely with Annie and Bertholdt. If those three are together, nothing much can hurt them.”

Mikasa nodded slowly, knowing that those three can handle themselves. They’ll have to try to find them once they’re back at full strength. Besides, knowing Reiner, he is sure to try to find them as well. It is something that had been ingrained in all of them since early childhood—they always feel uneasy whenever they are away from the others for long periods of time.

“Besides, I want to hear their side of the story.” Eren told Mikasa, her blue-green eyes looking straight into Mikasa’s dark ones. “The various battles going on between the different factions have been going on for years now. And it seems like there have been different alliances between the different races. I want to learn more about it.”

Inwardly however, she is curious about that vampire with the gray eyes.

“I’ll rather that we keep out of it.” Mikasa said coolly, sitting down on the edge of Eren’s bed. “It never bodes good news for us whenever we got ourselves involved. But—” Mikasa held up a hand to halt her sister’s protests. “Even I know that we can’t continue hiding and running. It is about time for us to come out into the open once more, especially if the Dawk faction had found us. More so ever since Ymir had gone missing on us about eighty years back. Then not long after she’d gone missing, the hunts for the Dragoons have commenced once more. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

“You think she’s gone traitor?” Eren asked quietly. Honestly, even she had the same thoughts herself when their friend had gone missing. Reiner had even voiced out the same possibility as Mikasa—that Ymir had possibly betrayed them, as the once stopped hunts for the Dragoons have commenced once more almost immediately after Ymir had gone missing, and even Annie didn’t keep quiet about it. “Do you honestly think that she’s betrayed her own kind?”

“…I don’t know.” Mikasa admitted.

Eren sighed. “Why can’t they just leave us the fuck alone?” she murmured, burying her face into her hands, careful not to aggravate her injuries. She barely felt her sister patting her on the shoulder in the same comforting gesture that she’d always done ever since they were kids.

The door to the infirmary opened just then, and the three Dragoons and one vampire in the room looked up only to see Erwin walking in, before being followed by Hanji, Farlan and then Levi. Eren’s heart gave a skip, and she felt a certain _pull_ towards the dark haired vampire—the same pull that she’d felt earlier in the forest.

Isabel had stopped her excited chatter the instant that she’d seen the group walking in, and she got to her feet, saluting Erwin. The blonde vampire nodded to her before approaching the bed where Eren is sitting up in, with Mikasa next to her. The two female Dragoons, along with Armin who isn’t that far away from Isabel tensed, eyes flickering from left to right in search of an escape route if necessary. 

“Good evening.” Erwin smiled at Mikasa and Eren with that reassuring smile of his. “My name is Erwin Smith. I’m the head of the faction here—also otherwise known as the Legion. I do believe that you’ve met my second-in-command, Levi.” He gestured towards Levi who is flanking him on the right. “And the Legion’s head researcher and doctor, Hanji Zoe.” He gestured towards Hanji who seemed about ready to start bouncing off the walls in excitement, creeping the three Dragoons out slightly.

Eren glanced at her sister and brother who both shrugged. She then turned her attention back towards Erwin. “As you can tell by now, we’re Dragoons,” she said. “My name is Eren Jaeger. This is my adoptive older sister, Mikasa Ackerman.” Mikasa said nothing, but merely glared at the group before her, hands going towards the sword by her side. “And my brother, Armin Arlert.” Armin nodded to them politely, but his eyes were sharp and assessing, gauging the group of vampires to determine if they are of any threat to them.

“Forgive me if I sound crude.” Mikasa narrowed her eyes at Erwin. “But exactly when can we leave? We’ve been on the run from others of _your_ kind for days now until that man over there—” Her eyes flickered towards a scowling Levi, “offered the healing services of your healer. So pardon me if I don’t trust you.”

Erwin only continued smiling that smile of his. “No, I completely understand,” he said, pretending not to notice the embarrassed looks that Armin and Eren exchanged between themselves, though it didn’t escape his notice that the two looked a little suspicious of them too. And if what Levi had told him is true—that the Dawk faction had been after them for _days_ now, whether to capture or to kill them, then he isn’t surprised. “As I understand it, the Dawk faction had been after you? Do you have any idea why?”

There was silence for a long time as the three Dragoons exchanged looks between themselves, a silent message passing between their eyes, even as Armin walked towards his two sisters, and took a seat near the end of Eren’s bed.

Erwin, Levi and Hanji seemed to be the only vampires in the room who could see that this action seem to be that of the Dragoons preparing for a fight if necessary, as one of the Dragoons isn’t exactly battle ready at this moment. Farlan could probably see it too, as the guy seems to have Erwin’s skill in strategies and tactics. Hence why similar to Levi, Farlan holds a high position in the Legion, possibly second only to Levi and Hanji.

“Since when does _anyone_ need a reason to want us dead?” Mikasa grunted at last. “We’ve been hunted down for as long as we remember. It had come to such a point that our kind is close to extinction. There are only a mere handful of us still alive now.”

“And the other Dragoons?” Levi realised that Mikasa had indicated that there had been more of their kind.

“Missing.” Armin replied curtly. “We got separated from them when we were attacked a few days ago. We have no idea where they are.”

The tension was so thick in the infirmary that one could almost cut through it with a knife. Farlan and Isabel shifted about on their feet uneasily, feeling really uncomfortable, especially with the death glares that Mikasa kept shooting at Levi.

“Hey!” Hanji’s loud and excited voice cut through just then, instantly dispelling any tension that seemed to be present in the room. Mikasa instantly planted herself in front of her sister when Hanji approached, eyeing the brunette vampire warily, obviously wondering if she isn’t screwed in the head. “Can you transform into your dragon forms? You’re Dragon Shifters, right—Dragoons! How do you even transform? How do you claim your mates? How do you have sex? I want to know everything!” 

Armin’s face went beet red when he heard Hanji’s second last question, and judging by the light flush on the faces of both Mikasa and Eren, they were albeit embarrassed by that question too. Whilst several of the creatures of the Night—the Dark World, were extremely sexual and have intercourse regularly, not all of them do. 

“Is she for real?” Mikasa deadpanned, staring at Hanji.

Levi stepped forward and yanked back an excitable Hanji by the back of her coat. “Sorry,” he said gruffly. “She tends to get excited at times when she had a…new project or experiment.”

“From what I understand, you are in danger from the Dawk faction?” Erwin prompted, and he received simultaneous nods from the three Dragoons. “And maybe even from others? Can you tell us more about it? Because from the sounds of it, it sounds like we’re setting you up for death if we allow you to just waltz out of the castle.”

“We don’t need your help.” Mikasa said immediately, narrowing her eyes in suspicion at Erwin. “We can take care of ourselves just fine. We always do.”

Levi is just this close to losing his patience at how stubborn this dark haired Dragoon is being. Thankfully, Farlan stepped in as peacemaker, a smile on his face. “I understand why you wouldn’t trust us,” he started, and Mikasa stared at him in suspicion, “I probably would view us as the enemy or even suspicious if I had been in your shoes. But think about it. Judging from what you said, there aren’t many of your kind left now, and there have been others after you—not just the Dawk faction. And maybe even the humans. Once they learn that a Dragoon had been sighted, they would be conducting their hunts once more in search of the ‘key to immortality’. You’ll be set upon by all sides. Even if you are Dragoons, there are only three of you. You’ll be outnumbered.”

Mikasa glared at Farlan, but she didn’t say a word to refute the truth of Farlan’s statement. Isabel smiled and jabbed Farlan in the ribs gently.

Armin and Eren exchanged looks before they both nodded, a silent message passing between their eyes. “Mikasa, maybe we should tell them.” Armin said at last. “Maybe they can help us. Besides, I don’t sense any malice from them. They seem different from all the others that have been hunting us down for all these years.”

Mikasa frowned before she nodded, sitting down by her sister’s side, gazing at the group of vampires in suspicion. Finally, Armin sighed, turning to face the vampires. “I guess first of all, you should understand how the hierarchy system of the Dragoons work,” he started, his lips quirking in amusement as he saw Hanji whip out a notebook and a pen from out of nowhere eagerly, paying close attention to his words. Isabel had also started dragging out chairs for the other vampires in the room, seeing that it is probably going to be a long story. “Originally, the Dragoons have lots of clans. Once upon a time, we have been the rulers of the Night until the first fearful war amongst the Night broke out millennia ago. And at the fore of all the Dragoon clans, the most powerful of them all had been the Jaeger Clan—the ruling clan of the Dragoons, with only the female members of the main family being the Clan Guardian—the one with the role to lead and protect the Dragoons.” At the mention of the word ‘Jaeger’, every single vampire in the room turned their eyes towards Eren. “That’s right. Eren is the last survivor of the ruling clan. In a way, I guess that makes her the leader of the few surviving Dragoons that are left. But now that there are so few of us, the position of ‘leader’ don’t really mean anything now.” Armin sighed. “Also, amongst our kind, female Dragoons are rare. That’s why the females are so sought after and cherished.” 

“We are named the Protectors for a reason.” Eren spoke up just then, and every single head in the infirmary swivelled towards the brunette Dragoon whom the vampires knew by now is the head of the few remaining Dragoons. So that really explains why both Mikasa and Armin are so protective of her when she is vulnerable. “Battle is in the blood of every Dragoon. We adapt to battles. We are all born as warriors.”

“Not all of the Dragoons are offensive specialists however.” Mikasa spoke up next, making a show of examining the nails on her right hand. “Some of us—like Armin’s clan for instance, specialises in healing.” Levi suddenly recalled how the blonde Dragoon had been the one trying to heal Eren just hours earlier. “My clan is one of the warrior clans. I’m the last of my clan. Eren’s parents took me in when I was a mere fledgling after the attack on my clan by some rogue vampires.” Isabel and Farlan flinched at that. “Several of the Dragoon clans were wiped out centuries ago due to several reasons. And due to our kind getting hunted down repeatedly by just about everyone in recent years, there are only a mere handful of us who’d managed to survive.”

“The continued hunts over the years have just about wiped all of us out, leaving only a handful of survivors. We stuck together to ensure our continued survival after our clans perished.” Eren stated, her eyes darkening over. “I have no idea how the Dawk faction stumbled upon our hiding place…” She exchanged looks with Mikasa and Armin, warning them with her eyes not to let out a single peep about Ymir’s disappearance. “But we all split and scattered during the confusion a few days prior.”

“It seems to us however that they are mainly targeting Eren.” Armin voiced out. “There could be loads of reasons why they are after her, so we don’t know exactly _why_ they’re after Eren as a whole.”

Erwin nodded slowly, knowing perfectly well that they’re hiding something from them, but in this case, he would rather not push them any further for answers. “I see. There are several reasons why the Dawk faction would be after a Dragoon—your kind has been highly sought after for several reasons, even by the humans,” he said. “And the rest of your kind?” 

“They’re definitely still alive. They’re too hard to kill.” Mikasa grunted. “We’ll find them. We have our ways.”

“I’m sure that you have loads of questions, but I think Eren needs to rest.” Armin said loudly just then, standing up, having seen that his sister seems to be paling. Unicorn blood poisoning is no joke after all, even for a Dragoon. It’s one of the few things in the world that can kill them.

Erwin nodded, feeling rather disappointed, but not wishing to push the Dragoons further. He had seen a Dragoon in battle once when he was a very young child, and he had seen how powerful that they have been, and how vicious that they are when enraged. 

“Very well, we’ll leave you to your rest.” Erwin promised. “But I will like to hear more about your kind.” His eyes almost sparkled like that of a child, much to Eren and Armin’s amusement.

“Mikasa. Armin. You both should go and get some food. You hadn’t eaten anything at all since coming here, have you?” Eren asked her two siblings who flushed.

“Uh… Well… No.” Armin admitted guiltily. “But we’re fine!” He insisted, trying to ignore the loud growl of his stomach—a sound that everyone in the room could hear, especially with their advanced hearing. After all, neither one of the three Dragoons have eaten anything for nearly a week—not since they’ve been forced on the run.

Eren’s glare spoke wonders. “Go. And. Get. Some. Food,” she said extremely slowly and dangerously. _“Now.”_

Mikasa got to her feet silently, walking serenely towards Armin and grasping him by the arm. “Which way is it to the kitchen?” she asked Erwin expressionlessly. 

“Uh…” Erwin was speechless for once in his lifetime. Finally, he regained his composure before turning towards Levi’s adoptive siblings who looked very amused. “Isabel. Farlan. Take them to the kitchen.” 

“Yes sir.” 

“We’ll be back with some food for you, Eren.” Mikasa told Eren who nodded, following Isabel and Farlan out of the infirmary, still dragging a protesting Armin with her.

“I’ll get going to my lab!” Hanji exclaimed, excited, eyeing the notebook in her hands like it’s the Holy Grail. “There’s _so_ much work to be done! I can’t wait! I have to tell Moblit!” Then she was gone like the wind. 

Erwin was the next to get to his feet. “It’s been very nice to meet you,” he told Eren politely. “I would love to hear more about the Dragoons, but I’ll leave it for until you’re in better health. I know that you can’t trust us fully right now, but I ask you to give us a chance to prove that we have no intention to harm you or your siblings.”

Eren narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling that this blonde vampire might just ask for their help with this war going on amongst the Night. And then again, the Dragoons were already dragged into it anyway. 

“I’ll take my leave.” Erwin then said pleasantly before leaving the infirmary as well, thus leaving only Levi and Eren behind. 

For several moments, neither one of the two said anything before Levi cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Eren turned blue-green eyes towards the vampire currently in the infirmary with her. He betrayed nothing on his face, but Eren could tell by his stiff posture that he’s nervous and seemed to be contemplating something. 

The pull that she’d felt with him seems to be stronger than before.

“How do I put this?” Levi muttered something irritably beneath his breath before turning his gaze towards the Dragoon. Why is this so damn difficult to say? “I’m… Well…”

Eren finally decided to take pity on him. “…I know,” she said. 

Levi looked honestly bewildered. “You do?”

Eren nodded before she shifted her position on the bed to make herself more comfortable, but winced as she pulled on her injuries. A surge of anger flared up in Levi as he saw this, and even smelt the scent of blood in the air—swearing to kill all those who have hurt his mate.

“Exactly how old do you think I am?” Eren enquired. “Despite how I look, I’m nearly two hundred years old. Armin and Mikasa are a little older than I am. I know a mate bond when I see one—much less if it happens to _me.”_

Seeing as how she had been there when the mate bond had flared between Annie and Bertholdt when they have reached maturity, Eren is bound to know a mate bond when she sees one. Honestly, seeing as vampires are very _active_ when it comes to their sexual life, Eren is very surprised that Levi hasn’t felt the urge to jump her yet.

“So you know then.” Levi noted, having to remind himself over and over that before him is a Dragoon. She might be younger than him by at least a century, but he knew that the Dragoons are the most knowledgeable about their world. Hence probably why Erwin _and_ Farlan have been so eager to talk to them. Hell, Hanji is nearly bouncing off the walls with excitement earlier. “That we’re… You know?” He gestured with his hands. “Mates.” 

Eren nodded before looking into Levi’s eyes, an unknown emotion visible in her own eyes. “There’s no polite way to say this, so I’m just going to come out and say it,” she said after a long silence. “You know what I am, right?”

Levi raised a brow at this question. Seeing as how majority of the conversation for the past hour had been about the Dragoons, asking this question out of the blue seems rather…absurd. “Dragoon. Dragon Shifter.”

“Right.” Eren nodded. “Then no doubt that you know by now that there aren’t many of us left now. We were continuously hunted down for several reasons. One of the main reasons had been the fact that just about _everyone_ wants a Dragoon as their mate—especially if the Dragoon is a female.” She told Levi, much to his shock. “Not many females are born in the Dragoon clans. The few that existed are cherished and protected until they could defend themselves. I had been the last born female Dragoon. The few other Dragoons that have survived—apart from myself, only Annie and…Mikasa are the only other females.” Levi noticed the slight pause in her words, but he made no mention of it. “The other survivors are all males. Armin actually suspected that the Dawk faction hunted us down for as much the same reason. So I’m going to ask you this now.” Eren looked straight into Levi’s eyes, and he is almost taken aback to see determination and that fire burning in those blue-green orbs. “Do you want me because I’m a Dragoon that just so happens to be your mate?”

The words were harsh and almost cruel, but Levi could appreciate it, as this is brutal honesty in itself. She seems to be awfully blunt, and had a frighteningly frank mannerism of talking. After all, Levi never liked it whenever people don’t just say upfront what they think or feel. He always did, never caring what people think of him.

“No. It’s nothing like that.” Levi said. “We both know how this mate bond works. I’m accepting it as it is not because you’re a Dragoon, but because…” He struggled with his words, not wanting to make himself sound weak. Hell, he’s the freaking second-in-command of the Legion! He doesn’t do _weak!_ “…I’ve been alone for a long time.” He admitted at last. “I just want someone to accept me as I am. My companion.”

“You’re lonely.” Eren smiled a small understanding smile. She understood where Levi is coming from. She had the same feelings as Levi. Part of the reason why the Dragoons are a dying species is partly because most of their kind never dared to venture out to seek their mate when it is clear that they won’t be finding their mate amongst their own kind. “I can understand that.” 

Her eyes are almost drooping at this point, and Levi noticed. “Get some sleep, brat,” he said almost harshly, yet warmly. “I’ll be here, so no one is going to come in and harm you. Just go to sleep and get your strength back. Shitty Glasses said herself that you won’t be at full strength for at least a couple of days.”

“Yeah. All right.” Eren murmured sleepily even as Levi helped her to lie down. He was almost startled when Eren grasped the edge of his sleeve. “Stay with me?”

Levi can now understand what Petra had meant now when she had said that once he finds his mate, it is like the entire universe revolves around her. You will want to be there for her—to share in her joy and sorrow, and to protect her with every fibre of your being. You won’t want to listen to a single bad word spoken about her. She will become the center of your universe. Your everything.

It is like he had regained something that he never knew he had lost before. He feels almost _whole_ now. Complete. Is this what it means to find his mate?

Levi smiled a small rare smile even as he took Eren’s bandaged hand into his own, watching as she fell asleep slowly, the medication that Hanji had placed in her system hours earlier putting her to sleep slowly.

“…Yeah. I’ll be here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is this chapter so goddamn difficult to write? And yes, I know Levi is kinda out of character in this chapter, but come on, this is FANFICTION. I can make him dance the Macarena in a pink tutu if I want to. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!


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